Halo: The Rising Tide
by Owen Atticus
Summary: The untold story of first contact with the Flood by the Forerunners on G617g. It's about the Forerunners!
1. Chapter 1

The Rising Tide

Part 1

"All ships report in." Captain Aodhán of _First Observance_ paced nervously back and forth. Once they arrived in system, the fleet began checking in, numbering twenty ships of various types. The captain had little reason to be worried. He had made this type of voyage countless times in his career with the Primary Pioneer Group. The tasks never bored him or gave him cause to doubt the necessity, but once appearing above the planet known as G617g, the smallest seeds of anxiousness began to take root in his mind.

The slightest displacement of air behind him caused the captain to turn around. The AI commissioned with the PPG, known as Eran, approached and hovered at shoulder height. "We are all accounted for, Captain." Eran dipped lower and moved to stare out the front viewport of _First Observance_. "Hmm. It looks rather drab, according to your standards, I suppose." The AI was triangularly pyramidal in shape, though its edges were slightly rounded, with a single eye that glowed a ghostly blue. Eran turned back around to face the captain. "Shall we begin?"

Aodhán folded his arms and nodded.

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

Four sensor ships made orbit around G617g, and reported back some interesting findings. While the world did seem capable of supporting life, it did not, however, contain any sentient species. Still, there was much more to be discovered on the surface.

Eran floated leisurely around the bridge, processing the sensor information while humming quietly to itself. Eran paused, breaking its tune of an anthem it recalled often, and stopped its movement. Grid G6-472 was marked as "anomalous" and Eran selected the attached file. It indicated there was no fauna of any kind along a lush mountain valley where animal life should naturally flourish.

Apparently, the captain was mulling over the same information. "Eran, it seems rather peculiar that a section of land, such as specified, would be so void of life." The captain frowned. "We should call in the Advanced Survey Team, see what they can find."

Eran bobbed up and down to mimic a nod. "I concur this as well."

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

Team Alpha of the AST made landfall just after the local sunset. The dozen specialists set up a makeshift camp just outside the designated area, and then set off towards the mountainside, their gear floating alongside them on equipment carts. The advanced sensors onboard the carts provided the same results as the preliminary look-see, but did find something interesting. A beep from one of the consoles brought Alpha Leader, Brennus, to consult with the readings. A very low radiation emission was detected due East.

Brennus wasted no time pinpointing the anomalous energy spike that emanated from inside the mountain. He reported the location to _First Observance_and wasn't shocked to hear Eran was on the way down. Although it was the senior AI with the PPG, he found Eran to be overwhelming and difficult to deal with at times. Brennus shook his head. Taking the necessary precautions, Sentry Scouts glided on ahead.

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

_Curiosity has a way of controlling you when you lest expect it_. Brennus laughed to himself when he heard his own words reverberate in his mind. Being a part of the Advanced Survey Team did have its perks. They were the first to see something new in the galaxy, something Brennus cherished mightily, and they had the most advanced equipment available to the Fleet.

_Of course, it's only as good as the user who interfaces with it_. Alpha Leader set his jaw and rechecked his suit's shield diagnostics. It was a nervous habit, one that he found himself doing every five minutes since the abnormal blip appeared in his heads-up-display.

When they arrived at the base of the mountain, Eran floated down from above, circling Alpha Team, as if to personally inspect it. Brennus gave the AI a look of forced amusement. "Care to join us, _Watchman_?" he asked, using its Fleet designation in a subtle attempt at condescension.

Eran tilted slightly to the right. "Why, yes. Of course." The AI sputtered along toward the front of the Sentry line.

Alpha Leader shook his head. _These machines never do understand sarcasm_. He motioned for his squad to pick up the pace and activated his suit's lighting system. The others did the same and the descending darkness was halted in their path. He looked back behind him, momentarily illuminating their tracks in the dry ground, and suppressed a shudder as he noted the range back to the safety of the base camp increase with every step.

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

The captain of _First Observance_ stood at the outer edge of the Observation Luminosity. The large, circular space was built into the bridge proper for real-time monitoring of teams or individuals. Currently, the scene from the Advanced Survey Team-Alpha was being transmitted in life-size holoform from the surface of G617g to the multiple image generators. He began to pace around the circumference when the holographic representation of Eran took the lead. The AI didn't bother with constant updates; the captain could see the events unfold instantaneously.

Neither did Aodhán feel the need to report back to Fleet Command over their investigation of a random, minuscule power surge in the middle of a deserted planet. He needed more information to go on if he wanted to properly assess the possible dangers present on G617g.

Aodhán took a seat and settled in for the unnerving anticipation of new discoveries.

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

Brennus found himself hesitating at the mouth of the cavern entrance. Eran had led them to the waypoint without so much as a note from its never-ending catalogue of tunes. _Perhaps Eran is as unsettled as we are._ However, what gave him pause were his sensors showing the temperature inside was much warmer, giving Brennus the impression they were entering the opened jaws of some great beast.

He swallowed and pressed on in the wake of the Sentry Scouts. As they entered the large cavern, the reflections off the walls from their illumination devices dulled as the surface absorbed the light. Only by directing a strong, single beam could the finer details of the area be revealed. The walls were composed of some sort of volcanic rock. The height of the ceiling could not be determined, as the air above them was layered in a cloud of mist. The ground felt loose underneath but solid enough to support their weight. The room was eerily quiet, given the size, but the silence didn't last long.

"Oh, my."

Brennusleaned past one of the Sentries to find Eran staring at a glowing round object in the center of the underground room. Brennus was startled, to say the least. The meter-wide sphere looked like a ball of water suspended in midair with static electricity sending tiny flashes of lightning over its surface. It looked vaguely familiar to Brennus, reminding him of the Fleet's most up-to-date form of advanced space travel, and he crept closer.

Eran circled the object twice, covering every possible angle, and took a position beside Brennus, forming a triangle with the sphere at the apex.

"The energy readings have diminished slightly since our arrival," Eran informed.

Brennus checked his sensors and frowned. "I don't read any change."

"Well, the variation is infinitesimal, approximately 0.0000000012 percent. I calculate--"

"--So it's breaking down, or you're due for a diagnostics check," Brennus interrupted, turning his attention back to the orb.

For once, the machine didn't react by telling him how structurally sound its programming was, or how its makers made it the pinnacle of perfection. It just hovered there, silently, as if in awe of the watery object. Eran made the smallest movement forward and Brennustook a step to halt the AI's progress.

He heard a crunch underneath his feet. Brennus looked down, shined his light at his boots, and was shocked to see a collection of unidentifiable bones scattered on the ground. His mouth hung open and his pulse began to race. He looked back up in time to see Eran arch an electrical inquiry to the object. He filled his lungs with air and he yelled, "No!"

It was too late.

A brilliant flash of white light suddenly filled the cavern, causing Brennus to fall awkwardly on his back, but his visor quickly polarized to save his eyes the need to adjust. A great primal roar echoed throughout the cavern and the walls became bathed in a crimson tint. Vibrations rattled everything and Brennus felt as if his body would shake itself apart. A high-pitched crescendo of multiple polyphony added to the audible chaos, and Alpha Team found themselves in the middle of a dissonant chorus.

Brennus found his voice again and struggled to regain his footing. "What did you _do_, Eran!?" he shouted over the noise. "Shut it off!"

Even hovering in the air, the AI still shook violently. "I had no reason to suspect any activation from a simple inquiry--"

The conversation was cut short when a dozen bipedal silhouettes seemed to leap out of an unseen gateway and materialize before them. Horror took hold in his heart and Brennus peddled backwards. One of the forms leaped in the air and struck down a member of Alpha Team, clawing away at his torso with tentacle-like limbs.

The Sentry Scouts quickly categorized these new beings, analyzed their posture, and assumed them as the threat they were. The machines opened fire with their beam weapons, slicing their enemy into disproportionate segments. More beings began appearing before them, but this time they were smaller, crawling over the ground towards the squad, and too numerous to count.

Brennus reached for the weapon at his hip. "Eran, close it down _now_!!!"

_Watchman_ sent a jolt of energy at the orb, and a tremendous, forceful wave rushed out from the sphere and knocked Brennus flat on his back. His head hit hard, but he did not loose consciousness right away. The cavern was once again plunged back into darkness, and the rhythmic clanking of machinery hitting the ground filled the void of the previous cacophony. A muffled munching sound could be heard, and that's when Brennus knew his suit was inoperable. He was no longer hearing through the enhancements his suit offered, but naturally. His strength was almost gone, but he forced his head to roll to the left. Beside him, a fellow Team member was covering in the smaller bulbous creatures. He felt a tingling in his feet and knew that his suit had lost integrity.

Grief and sorrow washed over him, as he knew he was going to die. He tried to let the comfort of his father's encouraging words overcome his current feelings, but his thoughts were interrupted by a familiar sound of ions firing. With his last bit of strength he raised his head up.

Eran was frantically cutting down the remaining parasitic creatures with bursts of energy emitting from its eye, only pausing to limit injuring the members of Alpha Team. The larger forms had all been bisected and diminished to heaps on the ground.

Exhaustion replaced any other feeling Brennus had, and he closed his eyes to fall unconscious.


	2. Chapter 2

Part II

"Can you open your eyes?"

Brennus wasn't sure if he had asked the question himself, or if he was hearing it from someone else. _Might as well try_. His left eyelid was stubborn to move, but his right eye opened to a bright light that caused tears to form. He tried to bring his hand up to wipe away the moisture but his progress was halted after the slightest movement.

He breathed in and found it somewhat difficult to fully capacitate his lungs. He blinked several times and his vision focused. A light-green glow encased his body and Brennus knew he was in medical stasis. That realization brought a new wave of emotions to engulf his mind. _How bad am I hurt? What happened to my squad? Are we safe from those… things?_

As if reading his mind, Eran's clipped tone of voice responded. "You are in a stable condition."

Brennus tilted his head to the right and found the AI at his side. "What about—"

"—Alpha Team? Three deceased, four in stasis, just as you." Eran's "eye" flickered on and off like a worn out illuminator, and he circled around to the left. "We are… in a troubling situation."

Alpha Leader's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?" Needle-like pain spiked in his brain as he turned his head to follow the wandering machine. He hissed and shut his eyes again, letting the pain subside until he could open them again. He'd been in medical stasis before and he had never felt _this_ bad.

A new voice entered the conversation from above his head. "We are mute and lame." Captain Aodhán took a position beside the AI, and Eran shrunk back to leave the explanation to the captain. "When that orb was activated, it unleashed something." He reached his hand out, but drew it back, knowing it would never make contact with Brennus' shoulder while in stasis. "We would be hard at work, going over the Librarian's records of all known categorized lifeforms…" he paused, giving a sigh. "But when the object was shut off, it emitted a burst of energy that knocked out every piece of technology in the system. Even our emergency communication buoys we stationed at the fringes of the system are dead." He motioned with his head to the AI behind him. "Eran, here, was the only thing that was still operating. Luckily, he has since helped restore backup power emitters to standby functionality on our main ships.

"But we are not out of the woods yet. We don't have enough power to engage the drives to return to an outpost, nor can we power up the communications array." He opened his arms to encompass the ship. "_First Observance_ barely has enough power to keep you in Stasis."

Brennus closed his eyes. "So what _can_ we do?"

From the sound of its voice, Brennus could tell Eran had moved closer. "Fleet Command Protocol dictates that if we do not facilitate communications within approximately 506 hours, a military division of the Fleet will be sent to investigate."

"So we sit tight for three weeks? Captain, can we not be back up and running by then?"

"That is our hope, though the damage does look rather extensive." He folded his arms. "We'll do our best."

_Outlook: Disma_l. Brennus tried to relax but tensed when he recalled those creatures. "What were those things that attacked us?"

Captain Aodhán walked to the doorway. "We are unsure. They are like nothing we've ever seen before." He pressed a panel that opened the door and called back over his shoulder. "You're safe now, Brennus. Try to get some rest and this will all be over before you know it."

Brennus tried to take another deep breath to find it stopped short, and he began to cough, racking his body in agony. "Will do, Captain," he managed between coughs. If nothing else, his chest felt tighter than before. He swallowed and hoped Aodhán was right.

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

Captain Aodhán retreated to his private quarters to find it dimly lit and disturbingly quiet, like the rest of the ship. He paused under the archway and let his thoughts drift away to years past.

Like his father, Aodhán joined the Naval Academy on his home world and soon found himself aboard one of the local orbital platforms. With the goal of obtaining captaincy for a ship of his own, he pushed himself to the limits his mind and body could take, and succeeded within four years, a Fleet record.

Then the entire Navy began disarming, giving little reason to support an ambitious "Captain from the Core", as he was once called. His ship was decommissioned and Aodhán took a job under a private liner-carrier group. It seemed years of training and preparation had amounted to tug duty for passengers. That was until a representative from the secretive Special Exploratory Unit approached Aodhán and offered him a job.

"Primary Pioneer Group," the rep had explained. "That's who you'll report to, though your allegiance will be to our Unit." He leaned in close. "And if you tell anyone of the SEU, we will disavow knowledge of ever speaking with you."

It was a loaded threat, Aodhán had figured, but the promise of commanding a ship again held tremendous pull. "I'll accept," he said, punctuating it with a sigh. He had a lot to learn about the tangled web of internal politics the offices of the Fleet contained. While still a branch of Fleet Command, he was under the watchful eye of SpecEx, as he learned to call it, and a small amount of fear had been planted ever sense. Aodhán thought of it as a healthy fear, like a son looking to please his father. SpecEx would contact him before, during, and after a mission with the PPG, and Aodhán was sure to give the details in full holoform. Taking the rep's advice, he doubted even Eran knew of his secret involvement with the intelligence-gathering group.

He sealed the door, walked over to his desk in the corner of his room, and settled into the plush fabric his chair offered. He bent down, placing his elbows on his knees, and buried his head in his hands. Aodhán wanted nothing more than this gambit to be through. He had decided to take one last mission before settling down in some remote valley, spending the rest of his days in silence and peace. He had his words already chosen for the Administrator at the SEU, but now he quickly saw the opportunity vanish in his mind's eye. _Natural curiosity fuels innovation_, he cited the Primary Pioneer Group maxim to himself, _but unbridled curiosity leads to destruction_. He snorted. Aodhán once believed that saying, but now after opening the floodgates, he wondered if they would prove the latter. About himself. About this mission. About those new lifeforms.

Aodhán shook his head at the stray thoughts circling his mind. There was an emergency going on and he needed to be clearheaded. He stretched tired muscles and slowly stood, contemplating sleep. Eran was coordinating the Engineers with the repairs, and would alert the captain if anything important came up.

Then there was the issue of those creatures Alpha Team encountered. The medical overseer, the Apothecy, was perplexed by the beings. He informed the captain that they looked parasitic in nature, but without adequate power to access the medical equipment, he was having a fit trying to deduce the creatures' biology. In the meantime, the Apothecy was examining the bodies of those slain from the earlier confrontation and wouldn't be due for a report till the next few hours.

Aodhán decided to take those few hours and use them to rest.

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

The dim light in the medical ward was barely enough for the Apothecy to view the cadavers. He cursed out loud, then looked up to see if anyone had heard him. Hunched over the second body, he breathed a sigh of relief when we realized he was alone in this late hour. The medical frigate _Avail Run_ was side-by-side with _First Observance_, orbiting G617g, and it issued a few more creaks and moans from the work the Engineers were performing. He was annoyed with the untimely interruption, and for the fourth time, the Apothecy had cursed his circumstances. Of all the places to be stationed, he never thought he would be examining mangled bodies on some forsaken rimworld. Still, it was better that teaching his trade back home.

The breathing apparatus he wore could barely hold the stench radiating off the table. He awkwardly adjusted the filter with the outside of his wrist and continued. An Apothecy was more than just a doctor. It was a position given to those that obtained an almost mystical ability to identify the tendrils of life that ebbed and flowed through living creatures. Some thought it was the next step in their peoples' evolution, but it was special to a select few. And with his examiner station without power, his skills were being pushed to the test.

He gently probed through the torn flesh of the abdomen of the deceased and focused his senses. With the room once again quiet, he found the smallest trickle of energy at his fingertips, and it overwhelmed him. He quickly pulled his hand out and reeled back several steps from the table. The fact that he sensed the current didn't cause him to jump back; it was normal for a fallen soldier to still have a few active cells in his body. This was unique. It was the amount of current that he felt that had him confused. It was the sense of something growing, not dying.

The few operating glowpanels flickered on and off, then with a metallic moan and thud, the room was plunged into darkness. The Apothecy reached out to his sides to find something to grasp only to topple over trays of utensils and send tools clanking to the ground. He stumbled backwards, found the room's far wall, and flattened himself against it, hearing his heartbeat in his head. Taken aback by his sudden fearfulness, he forced himself to breathe slower.

A muffled gurgle broke the silence and the Apothecy snapped his head to right. The noise had originated from where the third, unexamined body lay. That's impossible. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on the sounds he was hearing: a rasping of fabric, two meaty thumps, then off-balanced footsteps. The lights flickered on for a split second, revealing a figure moving quickly towards the opened door. The Apothecy inhaled sharply and shrunk down to the floor.

The creature slowly turned in the doorway to face him. It vaguely resembled the soldier who once wore the protection suit that encased the figure. Its body had become asymmetrical and drooped to one side. It let out a low growl then vanished into the hallway.

Horrified, the Apothecy began to physically shake in fear. Then the sounds of small sticky organisms crawling filled the void the creature left. They were everywhere, surrounding him. In the darkness, the Apothecy knew there was little he could do, and as the things drew nearer, he realized he should have taken that teaching job so long ago.

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

_I am not myself. _

_I am hearing new thoughts._

_Dark thoughts._

_Something is not right with me._

Eran floated back and forth in the propulsion room aboard _First Observance_, distracting itself by inspecting the casing of a plasma emitter. The alignment was off by a miniscule amount that would cause problems further down the line if not attended to within the next several months. Eran hummed nervously to itself, and after finishing up the final repairs of the reactor, started for the docking bay. The AI had kept its possible problematic situation of hearing a disturbing voice from the captain, in hopes it could be resolved by the time that the Primary Pioneer Group was back up and running. The Engineers were taking much longer than Eran had previously calculated, giving the AI more time to sort its internal programming out.

Once reaching the docking bay, Eran could look out the opened bay doors to see the rest of the fleet, leisurely floating in the black emptiness of space. Eran signaled the Huragok repair crew to pause their work while the AI attempted to bring the fleet to standby. Communicating with a lone Engineer aboard each vessel, the short burst transmission was sent out. For a moment, nothing happened, then exterior running lights on a single ship sputtered to life and others quickly followed suit. Within a matter of seconds the fleet was restored to minimal power and Eran could feel _First Observance_ coming back to life.

Satisfied with the progress, Eran allowed itself to resume humming a well-known waltz. As it turned to leave, it looked out over the fleet one last time and paused when the AI noticed _Avail Run_ still not fully operational. _Hmm_.

Eran decided to resume the repairs on the rest of the PPG, and make a journey to the medical frigate as soon as it talked with Captain Aodhán.

The AI's contentment was short-lived and soon replaced with anxiety.


	3. Chapter 3

Part III

_They struck me, but I did not become ill._

_They beat me, but I did not know it._

_When shall I awake?_

_I will seek another._

"No!" Brennus screamed, and the vision of a multi-limbed creature staring down at him evaporated in his mind. His breathing was labored like before, and he found himself clutching his arms in protection, huddled in the corner of the room. His throat felt raw from yelling as an attending medical technician ran to his side. At first he swatted the helping hands away, fit to remain isolated. When he looked past the female medtech, he saw the stasis device, he last remembered suspended in, still glowing. He glanced down at his hands and found them slightly bloodied.

Then Brennus saw his blood soaked gown and he began to tremble in pain, falling into the arms of the technician. He closed his eyes and tried to shake the dark image from his head.

"Please, stay still," the tech begged. She was waving a scanner over his face and then continued with the tool to trace the outline of blood on his gown.

The full weight of his body collapsed, his muscles no longer supporting him, and the medtech eased him down to the cold white floor. With teeth and hands clenched, Brennus tried to push past the agony his body was soaking in and forever erase the deep, resonant voice echoing through his every thought. He felt as if his mind was being mapped out, each stop sending a jolt of pain to that particular synapse. With the circuit continuing throughout his brain, he began to hear the voice again.

Only this time, it sounded like his own.

_Do not condemn me. Why do you contend with me?_

A new wave of pain and confusion washed over Brennus and he felt himself start to loose consciousness. He opened his eyes and found a half dozen medical technicians surrounding him, looking alien to him in their HazMat suits. Darkness crept into the edges of his vision and he welcomed the chance to rest once more.

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

On the bridge of _First Observance_, Captain Aodhán waited for Eran. The AI was attempting to access the teleportation network, but it seemed Eran's attempts were futile and it chose to head to the bridge the old-fashioned way. With the reactors back online, The Engineers were slowly restoring systems previously unavailable. Aodhán looked down at the status bar on the main display and saw most systems outlined in red with very little highlighted in green. He sighed to himself. _This will require a lot of patience. _

"Captain?"

Aodhán turned to face Eran as it entered the bridge. "How is Brennus?" he asked with concern.

"Stable." The AI floated past the captain to look out at the gathered ships. "He is back in Medical Stasis, yet he is showing signs of severe emotion trauma. Difficult to understand, really."

"Really?" Aodhán asked sarcastically. The AI had little grasp on emotions, period, let alone try to deduce the mental state of a soldier. He shook his head in mild disgust. With the intercom of _First Observance_still inoperable, and little of anything else working, the reliance upon the lone AI for all long distance reports was a struggle. But priority dictated that the environmental systems and medical facilities remain at full power, especially with three wounded members of the AST-A spread out between the orbiting fleet. "Have the other two members of the Survey Team said anything about hearing strange voices?"

Eran seemed to stir nervously in its place, then met the captain's gaze. "Unfortunately I have not been able to travel to the other ships, as of yet. _Avail Run_is the lone ship still only on standby power. I was going to find out the reason for this delay, but if you'd like, I could adjust the priorities to my schedule."

Aodhán folded his arms. "No, see what is taking _Avail Run_ so long, then head on over to _Seeker_ and _Phylith_. I want to know how our separate medical teams are doing with the injured. Perhaps they'll be able to collaborate and figure out what is going on with our soldiers."

Eran's eye winked on and off. "Very well, Captain. We should have short-range communications up within the hour, so I will contact you via the comm."

The AI sputtered out of view, and Aodhán was once again left with his thoughts.

*** *** *** *** *** ** *** *** ***

The docking bay of _Avail Run_ was almost as dark as its exterior color. The only illumination was from the lone star in the system, casting deep shadows against the bulkheads. Eran exited the airlock and entered into the Engineer maintenance hatch located above the main doorway. With visual sensors and audio enhancements set on maximum, the AI traveled down the cylindrical corridor with the bridge being its destination.

Eran had thought about going down to the reactor core and confronting the problem there, but from the bridge Eran could access the entire ship's functions, providing the reactor was back online.

A noise echoed through the corridor, and Eran froze in place. The AI played back the sound, analyzed it, and had the conclusion within a nanosecond.

Someone had screamed.

Pulling up the schematics of _Avail Run_, Eran had deduced the scream to originate from the barracks. Logic dictated the barracks would be the ideal place to herd the crew; giving them a comfortable, warm place to stay, out of the way of the Engineers. Setting it to memory, Eran increased his speed to arrive on the bridge in a matter of seconds.

The bridge was frigidly cold, void of life, and completely silent. Shutting off all power, even standby reserves, to the parts of the medical frigate where the crew was not currently occupied, was indeed a good decision by the captain. If the view outside the main window had not been that of an outer rim system, one would think _Avail Run_ was still in a shipyard, waiting to be crewed. Eran approached the central console cluster and quickly ran a system-wide diagnostic. Most of the emergency systems lit up in the green, so Eran engaged the main reactor.

With a short thump and a series of vibrations, partial power was restored to the ship. Displays and consoles scattered through the bridge beeped and flickered on. Eran did a quick thermal scan of the immediate area for members of the crew and found none.

Still confused, Eran began to focus on the security and surveillance gear networked throughout _Avail Run_. The lines were still functional, but their repair status had them low in the queue. Eran tapped some of the reserve power and enabled the observation cameras in one of the barracks, bringing it up on the main display.

The AI was having a difficult time computing what it saw. Creatures, like the ones they had found on G617g, were running about, attacking the crew of _Avail Run_. Striking with reckless abandon, the bipedal aliens and those smaller bulbous ones spread quickly through the barracks. The crew was helpless against the onslaught; hand-to-hand combat was proving fatal. The larger creatures would bring down the most resistant victims that were using random objects for defense, and the smaller, parasitic creatures would quickly overwhelm the crewmen and staff clutching each other in fear. Those fallen would convulse spasmodically, gurgle, then fall still as if in death.

A crackled over the bridge's comm tore Eran's attention away from the screen. It was Captain Aodhán from _First Observance_. Apparently short-range communication was now online.

"_Watchman_, do you copy? We have an emergency."

Eran keyed the comm. "Yes, we seem to have an emergency situation here," the AI agreed. "Recommend we send over a large security force to _Avail Run_. We have . . . an infection."

"Yes, we are dispatching security teams to _Avail Run_, _Seeker_, and _Phylith_. There are hostile forces crawling all over the last two," Aodhán informed.

"Make that all three." Eran locked down the bridge, sealing itself inside.

The AI perceived an odd sensation from deep within its programming.

Shame.

_I have unleashed hell upon us all._


	4. Chapter 4

Part 4

Captain Aodhán remained close to the comm station on the bridge of _First Observance_. Without the Observation Luminosity functional, they had to rely on primitive audio transmissions to remain in contact. The lead communications officer was doing his best to filter the reports and maintain order over the airwaves. The static that filled the dead space between conversation exchanges began to eat away at Aodhán. The white noise seemed to match the situation perfectly: disorder and chaos.

_Seeker _and _Phylith _had reported attacks in the medical wards of each cruiser. Both ships still held nominal power and were requesting a security force. With _First Observance_ being the only ship in the fleet that had operable Sentries, Aodhán had dispatched the floating machines to all three vessels needing assistance. The inter-teleportation grid was almost ready for use and the captain was prepared to send a larger group to _Avail Run_.

A transmission from _Seeker _blared over the comm. "Captain Aodhán, we are in desperate need of assistance. Those things have overrun our armory."

Aodhán didn't recognize the voice. "_Seeker_, seal off the occupied areas. We have a team of Sentries on their way."

"Negative on that, Captain. Our lines are are severed."

Aodhán frowned and closed his eyes at the order he was about to issue. "Seal them manually; arrange a two-section safe zone on the border of the engagement. We need to contain this threat."

There was a gasp in response. "Sir, what about those still trapped inside? We can't just--"

"We have little choice, _Seeker_."

"Yes, Sir. We'll do our best."

The comm clicked off, and Captain Aodhán rolled his neck to loosen tense muscles. "Patch me through to _Phylith_."

The communications officer enabled a second channel. "Ready, Sir."

Aodhán inhaled. "_Phylith _do you--" A burst of static filled the air and he winced. He looked down at the officer. "What's going on? Are we getting through?"

"Yes, Sir, but there seems to be some sort of interference." He pressed a few buttons on his console and frowned. "We've also lost contact with our Sentries on _Phylith_."

"What?" Aodhán was in partial disbelief. In desperation, they had sent the remaining Sentries to combat this unexpected threat. If they're gone, he had little choice but to send in a security team of his own crew.

The communications officer shook his head in reply. "We may have lost the ship, Sir."

The captain straightened up and called out to anyone who could answer. "Is our teleportation grid up?"

"Stand by," a technician said. "The Engineers have just finalized the repairs, though we can only send on our end. We cannot receive any personnel from the other ships."

Aodhán blinked in surprise. "That will do for now." He signaled the comm. "Security Teams Alpha and Beta report to the teleporter room and prepare to transfer to _Phylith_. Teams Gamma and Delta, will be sent to _Seeker_."

An officer stood up behind his console. "Sir, what of the _Avail Run_?"

Captain Aodhán turned to look at the questioner. "Eran does have one more option."

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

Eran continued to ramp up the time table for repairs, desperately feeding power reserves from unnecessary items to the most important ones. The _Avail Run_, even with all the death and violence on board, was quickly becoming fully functional again.

_Futile, yet worthy._

Eran's motor functions glitched and caused the AI to tremble for a second. The voice was back and louder than ever. "I am trying to save them," Eran replied to _Avail Run_'s silent bridge.

_My will is your will._

"Stop it!" Eran moved back and forth to shake the static bursting through his circuits.

The bridge comm beeped and the familiar voice of Captain Aodhán broke off the conversation. "_Watchman_, are you there?"

Eran snapped back to reality and took a moment to collect itself. "Yes, I am here."

"Eran, since _Avail Run_ is a medical frigate, does it have an emergency medical defense system in case a virus or disease breaks loose in the medlab?"

The AI focused on the ships systems, scanning them for such a protocol. "Yes, Captain, it does. The Internal Pathogen Defense System will eliminate any designated pathogen deemed harmful to all ship personnel." Eran finished reading the IPDS function explanation. "However, Sir, it does need to be activated on site, in the medical laboratory. I cannot remotely activate it."

"Eran, we're going to teleport a security team into the medlab where they will defend you while the IPDS is initiated, understood?"

Eran thought for a moment. "Yes, Captain. I'll be there momentarily." The AI lifted back into the maintenance corridor and started for the medical lab.

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

Eran arrived to the flickering light of the medlab. There were none of the creatures in the vicinity, so the AI signaled _First Observance_ the all clear. Eran entered the lab from above as the two-squad team appeared in the golden rings that accompanied teleportation arrival. The teams fanned out to give a perimeter around the central column.

The commander of the group kept his eyes fixed on the nearest doorway. "_Watchman_, do you have the exact location of the Defense System activator?" he asked, without preamble.

Eran projected the floor plan in midair and set a waypoint several rooms down from their current location. "I will need several minutes to prime the system." The hologram vanished and Eran took position in the middle of the two squads. "Do be careful, Sir."

The commander waved his left hand forward and the group set off in motion. The hallway was in stark contrast to the seizure-inducing light of the medlab. Brightly lit, light blue walls guided them to their destination, as the distant sounds of screaming reflected off the raised ceiling. The activator was sealed in an entirely separate room that needed the authority of the ship's captain and the chief medical officer to open. Fortunately, Eran's position as _Watchman _allowed the AI to access the critical systems of all ships in the Primary Pioneer Group.

When they were within two dozen paces from their destination the group commander stopped and knelt down, bringing the infiltration team to a stop. "_Watchman_, I have contacts just outside the airlock."

Eran checked its own motion tracker and concurred. The airlock was around the next corner to their right and still out of visual range. "Yes, three individuals; the larger types, too."

"If we attack with energy weapons, others might hear and be alerted to our presence," the commander spoke softly.

Eran thought for a moment. "That is acceptable; we must pass through this area." The AI floated on ahead of the group. "Once the IPDS is activated, this infestation will no long be threat."

The commander swore under his breath and pressed on, calling back to his team. "Short bursts only. Perhaps we can bring them down before they realize we're here." He caught up to Eran in two long strides and tugged the AI back behind him. "We go first, okay?"

"Yes, of course." Eran cowered back down using First Squad as a shield.

The group commander poked his head around the smooth edges of the corner and reeled it back quickly. "Three marks, possibly one friendly," he whispered. He held up four fingers, made them into a fist, then pointed left to the opposite side of the hallway. Four members of First Squad gathered at the commander's side, awaiting his signal.

"Go."

In one fluid motion, the four squad members rose and moved to the left side of the hallway, while the commander rounded the corner and took aim. Years of training took over and they each fired two short bursts at the creatures down the hall. The first mark blew apart in a shower of brown matter, leaving rustic stains on the blue walls. The second mark that was bent over a recent victim lost its head and most of the upper torso; its lower body remained twitching for a second before collapsing in a heap on the floor.

The last target was the farthest away and took a burst to its right arm, severing it just below the shoulder. It looked down at the missing limb, let out a primal roar, and started to run towards its attackers. The creature made it two steps before it became washed in the orange beam of the commander's weapon.

"Targets neutralized. Second Squad, move up," the commander ordered. He straightened up and glared at Eran. "That may have cost us or secrecy, so I recommend you proceed with the mission."

"Sir, we have a survivor," the leader of Second Squad called back to the commander.

Eran joined the two squad leaders and saw the once-lifeless victim was a young assistant. She moaned as the commander turned her over on her back. Her face was colorless and layered with scratches. The intact, basic medtech suit was the only thing that kept her from falling prey to the infectious monsters. Unclasping the shoulder straps, the commander eased the poor girl out of the protective shell. Her breathing immediately improved and she clutched to the commander tightly.

With assurance of her well being, Eran turned towards the airlock and began to unseal the door. Gears clicked into place and the white, rectangular door lifted up to allow access to the room, but then it froze partway.

Eran accidentally rammed into the stubborn door and hovered in puzzlement. Entering into the small room filled with racks of medical archives, Eran located the Internal Pathogen Defense System terminal. It was centralized in a pillar that rose from the center of the room. Eran began to interface. "It will take several moments," the AI informed the security team.

From the hallway, the commander hulled the scared medtech into the relative safety of the square room and gently set her down on the floor. "_Watchman_, we need to get her out of here, now."

"I'm a little busy, Sir."

"Can't you activate the teleportation grid?"

The AI turned to face the commander and did a quick inquiry of _Avail Run_'s transportation systems. Stunned and slightly alarmed, Eran fumbled over the first few words. "Why, it appears the Engineers are continuing repairs at an amazing rate. Yes, by all means, stand by."

The commander cradled her neck and cleared long hair from her face. "Rest easy, you'll be safe, shortly."

She managed a faint smile that quickly faded.

Smiling through the visor in his helmet, he asked, "what is your name?"

"Imogen," she replied. "Thank you for saving me."

Eran turned its attention to the medtech. "Please remain still."

The commander backed away and she vanished in golden halos.

An incessant beep from the motion trackers caught everyone's attention.

Eran spoke up first. "Multiple contacts incoming. Looks like a mix of all sizes." The AI went back to the terminal. "I still need a few minutes. Hold them off."

The security team filled the hallway; First Squad took position to the right down the long stretch of fading blue walls, while Second Squad guarded against an attack from the left at the rounding corner. The group commander stood between the two squads and chanced a look at Eran. "What exactly will the Defense System do once activated?"

Annoyed again, Eran half turned to answer. "Eliminate the designated pathogen I select by plasma vaporization. Fairly effective, if I may say."

The leader of Second Squad barked an alert. "Contacts!" He fired his weapon at the incoming enemy, slicing down the first one he saw. His fellow squadmates pulsed orange energy at the continuous waves of the smaller bulbous creatures, tracing their paths up along the walls and back down. From the right, monstrous roars filled the air and more contacts leaped into view from the shadows of rooms that branched off along the hallway. A barrage from First Squad took down four leaping beasts, and soon the corridor was filled from wall to wall with the gurgling, tentacle creatures.

The battle on two fronts could only last for a few more moments before the security team would be overrun.

And the commander quickly realized their this. "_Watchman_, we are about out of time!"

"Ten more seconds." Eran finalized the procedure and paused over the activation key.

_You are no long in control here._

"What?" Eran asked out loud. The deep, internal voice was back, and at the worst possible moment.

"What?"

"Nothing, commander," Eran forced out. Bringing his circuits back up to speed he gave an adequate response. "Five seconds."

_A slave to your own mind._

"No!" Eran shouted.

The group commander ducked into the room. "What is going on, Watchman?"

"Activating the IPDS, now!" Eran hit the activation key and the hallway erupted into a flash of white light and screams of pain.

Only the screams were of an octave too high.

The commander heard the clattering of weapons hitting the ground and saw the remnants of a team member blow into the room like a pile of dust in a windstorm. Utterly stunned and horrified, he turned to face the AI. "What have you done?"

As the unaffected creatures barged into the room, Eran couldn't help but watch the ravenous moment unfold before it. The commander didn't fight back, but rather accepted his fate and dropped his weapon. Or maybe he was still in disbelief as to the actions of a confused machine that didn't know what it was doing. The commander fell to his knees as a larger form jumped on him from behind, pitching him forward.

_What have I done? Could I have calculated so gravely as to program the security team as the real threat? I didn't do this on purpose. Did I?_

Laughter reverberated in the small room. With the creatures now filling the room and the rest of the medical frigate, Eran knew there was nothing more to do and activated the teleportation grid to leave the condemned ship.

_Avail Run_ was lost.


	5. Chapter 5

Part 5

"_Watchman_. _Watchman_!"

Eran kept its gaze on the bridge floor as it turned to Captain Aodhán. "It's hard to say exactly what happened, Sir. Once the system was initiated, all lifeforms on board containing traces of the infestation were to be vaporized."

"But you killed the survivors instead, _and _your security team!" Aodhán paced back and forth, shaking his head.

"Captain, I would never have purposely murdered innocents," Eran said bashfully.

"Are you saying it was an accident?"

"Of course, Sir. Perhaps a slight mis--"

"A miscalculation?" Aodhán suggested. "As the lead AI, Eran, you're vital to performing flawlessly. If you cannot perform to the standards the Fleet has set . . . "

Eran seemed to slump slightly. "I understand, Sir."

Aodhán noticed the entire bridge crew was watching and he sighed in frustration. _The last thing we need right now is everyone loosing their heads_. _We also need all the help we can get_. Reluctantly, Aodhán realized that his ability to defend the fleet was quickly becoming scarce, and the AI was still necessary to help combat this new threat. With the Sentries combating the infestations on _Seeker _and _Phylith_, the captain had little else to rely on. On the other hand, _Watchman _had just wiped out an entire ship's crew, and the possibility of rampancy was prevalent. Fleet Command has assured the PPG that this new class of AI was revolutionary, but Captain Aodhán thought anyone not blind to misleading bureaucrats could see the fault in relying so heavily on a single AI to network an entire fleet. _Politics_. Aodhán ran through his options and came to his conclusion. "Once the Engineers have adequately repaired either the long-range communications or slipspace drives, you will be temporarily decommissioned until Fleet Command is contacted. Consider yourself on lockdown."

Eran's eye dimmed in disappointment. Apparently, the AI knew how to handle a reprimand. "Yes, Captain." Eran perked up. "What would you have me do?"

Aodhán brought his mind back into focus. "First thing is to tell those Engineers to halt their progress on _Avail Run_. If those aliens have indeed taken over the ship, I don't want us acting as their repair center."

"One moment." Eran hovered to the main viewport to view the medical frigate.

The captain stared at the back of the AI. "Well?"

Eran remained still. "I'm afraid we may have lost them. I'm not receiving any response from my inquiries."

Swearing to himself, Aodhán lowered his head in thought. "It's too risky to send more units over to take back the _Avail Run_."

"Captain?" The communications officer looked befuddled.

Raising his head, Aodhán spoke softly. "If we can't scuttle the ship, we'll have to take it down ourselves. We have no choice but to safeguard the rest of the Fleet against this . . . " Aodhán tried to find the word that could best describe this unrelenting, overwhelming force.

" . . . This flood."

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

Imogen faded in and out of consciousness. The bright lights above passing by at the speed of a fast walk. She felt the lacerations on her face with her trembling hands and tried to push aside the pain that racked the rest of her body. It was of no use. A figure appeared overhead, becoming rhythmically silhouetted with the series of lights. Flashes of red assaulted her from the sides that told Imogen the ship was on full battle alert. She felt her pace slow and the visual chaos dull.

"It's okay. We're going to place you in medical stasis," said a deep voice from her left. At least that's what she thought.

Turning that direction, Imogen saw someone, probably male, already bathed in a faint glow. "Hello?"

"That's Brennus of the AST-A."

Imogen turned back to the right to see the person behind the remark, a masked figure examining her arm. She winced at his not-so-gentle touch.

"We've had to place him in a permanently induced coma. Until we figure out what happened, he'll be right there."

"If you would like my assistance, I'm a medical technician from _Avail Run_," she said with a forced expression of helpfulness. "Although, I may not be in the best of shape, for now."

"Yes, we know." He moved to her other side and ran delicate, gloved fingers over her left ear and cheek where the most severe wound sliced her once unblemished, soft skin.

Imogen could her a fizzing sound, which she recognized as an antiquated cauterizer, and arched her neck at the discomfort.

"I apologize, but we are pressed for time and proper equipment." He continued using the medical tool, tracing the hairline across her forehead. "We're expecting more of the injured to arrive from _Seeker _and _Phylith_."

She remained still, knowing movement could disrupt the wound-closing process. "How badly am I hurt?"

"No infection to speak of, if that's what you are wondering."

"I feel achy, sore all over."

"Well, you were transported over here via a shaky teleportation network. The ill effects of such a crude, hasty transfer were bound to cause some discomfort." He retracted the cauterizer.

A cooling sensation replaced the intense heat, and Imogen could tell the wound might leave a scar. _A reminder of my encounter with those . . . things_. She shivered at the recent memory of her attack. "I thought I was going to die."

"Perhaps you would have. You are much stronger that you think." The medtech snorted. "Must be good genes."

There was a click from underneath Imogen and a vibration caused her body to tingle. She identified the low rumble as Medical Stasis and soon a soft glow appeared before her.

"Rest easy, this is just precautionary. You should be out in a few hours."

Gravity vanished and Imogen was weightless in the void. She closed her eyes and took the medtech's advice.

Imogen slept.

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

The Sentry simply labeled "A5" had entered _Seeker _through an exhaust port underneath the starboard wing of the medium cruiser. Slicing a layer of insulation and radiation shielding, A5 was finally aboard the infected vessel. Hailing the rest of the group, the other Sentries followed in A5's wake, sealing the hull to maintain adequate, internal pressure.

The small team of five Sentries found themselves in a weapons platform loading area. A5 recommended to the others to remain in tight combat formation as they ventured out into a connecting hallway. Like most ships in the PPG, space was considered an affordable luxury, and the width of the hall easily allowed the Sentries to spread out to cover multiple attack angles without entering each others crossfire.

Group B was mimicking the pattern of events from their portside entrance into _Seeker_, but their destination was to the Reactor Core where they could cut or regulate power to segments of the ship at its very source. _Watchman _had instructed them to engage the infestation without alerting the enemy to the Sentries' arrival. So far, so good.

A5 led the team into the main corridor that ran the length of the ship. Debris and mutilated bodies were strewn about. The aftermath of violence. With sensors on full spectrum, A5 started for the bridge. Once the bridge was secure, A5 could begin synchronization with Group B and eliminate the hostile force quickly spreading throughout _Seeker_.

Movement was detected up ahead. Gathered in a pack of two dozen, the bipedal creatures were rummaging through a clothing locker, casting protection suits and garments on the glossy deck. Without hesitation, the Sentry team fired orange beams of energy that sliced into and through the alien beings. There was no chance for the creatures to respond, and within a matter of seconds, brown flesh lay burning on the now-charred floor. A5 hovered for a brief second, awaiting a response from somewhere in the shadows. But none came, and the team pressed on.

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

Sentry B2, as designated by _Watchman_, was leading group B. They had encountered two contacts, which the team had quickly dispatched, and were almost to the Reactor Core. B2 spotted four more possible enemies hiding in a utility room down the end of the hallway, but the lifeform pattern wasn't matching previously known threats. Cautiously, the team continued on, trying their best to avoid the concealed contacts.

A burst of ions shot across B2's path, and B1 ran right into the destructive beam. At first, B1's shields held, but a second line of fire filled the air and the Sentry's casing spit open like ripened fruit.

The rest of the team quickly closed the distance to the utility room and began filling the doorway with orange return fire. A gurgle and a shriek later, the assailants lay motionless on the floor. B2 looked down at the remains of B1. Without a sensation of sorrow programmed into its circuits, the Sentry passed over the charred mass and led the group farther on.

B2 calculated over fifty contacts in the Core with four of those being anomalies. The small team held up as B2 peeked around the corner. Fanned out in a protective semi-circle, more of the larger creatures were at the outer edges, armed with various weapons from _Seeker_'s Armory. Farther into the mass of contacts were the smaller, bulbous ones.

And at the center of the formation, Four assimilated Engineers trifled with a power regulator.

The leader of Sentry Group B wasted no time organizing the team. It ordered B4 and B5 to travel farther down the line, to the other side of the core; the two groups of two would attack simultaneously. B2 measured and recalculated attack angles a hundred times a second, waiting for the others to get into position. B4 signaled "ready."

Interrupting the Sentries' battle plans, a singsong whine echoed through the core that ended in an unmusical grunt.

The Engineers had completed their repairs.

The four Sentries sprang into motion, bringing their primary weapons to bear on the outer defensive ring--

But each of the creatures vanished, as the golden glow of teleportation surrounded them and transported them away to an unknown destination. One lone Engineer remained and turned to face B2; the team of Sentries held their fire. It squawked something incomprehensible and disappeared from the medium cruiser.

_Seeker _lurched up, as if a drunken pilot was at the helm. B2 tried to hail A5 but was met with static and dead air. Sentry Group A was gone.

The four remaining Sentries of Group B gathered to where the Engineers had completed their task, as the low-level hum of the reactor increased in oscillation. Examining the recent work, they discovered the regulator was running at a hundred and ten percent.

Against all logical means, B2's programming pondered, the infestation had not only repaired the ship at an alarming rate, but they had completely taken over the ship.


	6. Chapter 6

Part 6

Aodhán had just finished his fleet-wide transmission when a word from behind turned his attention back around.

"Captain, _Radon _reports sixty percent efficiency in the main drives," the communications officer relayed with a smile.

Aodhán nodded. That put the destroyer above the threshold necessary to attempt entering Slipspace. The first good news of the day. "Bring them up on the comm." He moved closer to the communications station and leaned over the console. "This is Captain Aodhán, with whom am I speaking?"

There was a pause and a throat clearing over the static. "Uh, acting-captain Derrish here, Sir."

"What happened to Captain Venol?"

"When we initially lost power, our gravity generators depolarized and he was smashed into the bridge ceiling, along with much of the crew stationed there." Derrish stuttered. "We're now in the auxiliary bridge, Sir."

Captain Aodhán's shoulders slumped. _Venol, dead_. Captain Venol had been a long-time acquaintance, serving with distinction in the Rathenos Uprising. He had transferred to the Primary Pioneer Group, wanting to finish his carrier in the Navy on a peaceful note. Now, Venol would never get that chance. _Rest easy, my friend_.

"Orders, Sir?"

Aodhán collected himself before speaking into the comm. "Derrish, your ship is the first one that can head back to a Fleet outpost and bring us some reinforcements." He signaled the communications officer. "We're sending you the coordinates for the nearest station. _Radon _is to summon a military response group to combat this infestation with all haste. I'm uploading my authorization codes to resolve any clearance issues."

There was a beep over the comm, an acknowledgment that the transmission was received. "Understood, Captain," Derrish said with a renewed confidence in his tone. "It will take several minutes to prime our drives. We will signal you when we're ready to head out."

"Thank you, Captain Derrish. And good luck."

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

Derrish felt uneasy and out of place in the auxiliary bridge's command chair. Sitting on the edge, his fingers tapping randomly, the minutes felt like days as he waited for the drives to warm up. "Status?" he asked for the third time in as many minutes.

The junior officer sitting at the propulsion console checked his diagnostics. "Forty-two percent and rising . . . " He trailed off and leaned forward to view that data on his screen more closely. "Wait. It's stopped."

"Stopped?" Derrish echoed.

"Yeah, like someone shut off the coupler or something."

Derrish frowned. "Find out what's going on down there," he said to the backup communications officer.

The officer made the query and pulled his earpiece out when a burst of static filled the line. "I can't raise them, Sir." He dialed down the volume and placed the device back in his left ear. "Maybe with the drives warming up the shielding hasn't stabilized yet, causing the distortion," he suggested.

Derrish nodded. "Then we shouldn't try and force the regulators, one might blow, then we'll really be delayed."

The propulsion officer lifted his head. "Hold on, it's back up and running." He blinked in surprise. "And rising fast." His brow furrowed in contemplation. "Fifty percent. Fifty-_seven _percent. Captain, I don't know how the drives are warming up so quickly."

_Radon _began to vibrate as the reactor's pitch rose steadily, unnaturally fast. Several consoles began beeping an alert and warning klaxons blared overhead.

"Shut it down," Derrish instructed.

The propulsion officer fumbled with the controls. "I can't, Sir. I'm locked out."

Derrish stood and hustled over to the console. "Locked?" Sure enough, the mid-air display was frozen. "Run diagnostics," he turned to the communications officer, "and get me _First Observance_."

A gasp brought Derrish's attention back to the display. "What in the . . ."

Scrolling across the holographic screen were random symbols, nothing recognizable as binary or any known language.

Sweat began to form on Derrish's face as he ran back to his command chair. He keyed the comm. "_First Observance_, this is Radon, requesting assistance." His leg began to twitch in nervousness. "_First Observance_, come in, please."

Increased static was the only reply, but fragments of Aodhán's voice leaked through. ".hostile.....telepor..shut....off..not.......drives.... "

"Can you clear any of that up?" Derrish asked the communications officer.

"I'm sorry, Sir. I'm locked out as well."

"Something's taking over the ship," an officer breathed from the back of the bridge, sounding frightened.

Derrish swore to himself. _If the reactor was powered up past the pre-approved threshold, it could go critical_. He got out of his chair and opened the compartment above and behind him. He pulled out a beam pistol and checked the power clip. Full charge. "I need as many hands as possible. We're going to manually shut down that reactor."

Several other officers followed suit and armed themselves. The communications officer rose, but Derrish motioned him to stay put. "Keep trying to get a hold of _First Observance_. Tell them we need a security team here, now."

He nodded and the small group of seven officers left the bridge.

Not wanting to risk a possible failure with the teleportation grid, they set out on foot, weaving their way through the gathering crowd in the main corridor. Shouts of protest and questions from various officers came in waves at Derrish, but the seven pressed on with purpose.

Branching off from the main corridor were a series of lifts centralized in the midsection of _Radon_. Derrish entered his override code and they took the lift down to the reactor level, giving them a chance to catch their breath.

"Alright, as soon as we stop, fan out and cover one another." The captain pointed to three officers. "You take the left side."

'We'll take the right," said a navigation officer for the remaining three.

Derrish nodded and forced a smile, a silent "thanks" for their willingness to help. He rechecked his energy pack and rested a hand over the release button. "Go."

The double doors slid open quietly to a darkened hall's end. The grated floor gave a distinctive clatter as the officers' boots stepped lively. While not trained for incursion or infantry, the officers still had a professional manner in which they moved. Three headed to each side of the foyer, while Derrish locked down the lift, securing their escape, if need be.

Derrish exited the lift, pointing his weapon at the door at the long end of the rectangular hall that would give them access to their destination. He stopped to listen. Except for the thrum of the reactor, all was quiet. He exchanged glances from his officers and motioned them to head forward.

Moving silently, the sudden mechanical thump sounded louder than it could ever have seemed. The seven ducked reflexively, as dust from overhead piping was shaken loose and fell.

Derrish's expression turned from determination to worry. "What was that?" he demanded.

The thunderous boom struck again, jarring even more dust this time.

"A Weapons Platform firing," explained an officer that was looking up. He frowned as he made eye contact with the captain. "Secondary weapons are firing."

"But at what? Are we under attack?" asked the navigation officer.

Through the rumble of the weapons and the escalating questions, Derrish barely heard the hissing from the reactor's blast door. "Quiet!" he yelled through clenched teeth. Compressed air began leaking through the cracks around the door. "Fall back to the lift, now!"

The seven awkwardly ran backwards, causing the left column of officers to stumbling over one another. The door began to creak open.

"Get up and keep moving!" Derrish ordered as he reached out to help the nearest officer up.

A fleshly tentacle crept around the crack in the door, and a gurgle could be heard. With ease, it pulled the heavy door open the rest of the way, and the doorway's occupants were finally revealed to Derrish and his officers. Nearly bursting through with shouts of anger, four creatures leaped into the hallway armed and firing.

Still in shock, on officer stood motionless as a beam sliced through his chest, instantly dropping him to the floor, as the acrid scent of burnt flesh filled the foyer.

With one hand, Derrish shoved the navigation officer up off the floor towards the lift, and with his right hand he returned suppressing fire. "Go, go!" He was rewarded when one blast of orange energy stuck an alien in the head, bursting the deformed face and causing the weapon to clatter to the floor. The stream of return fire, nearly sliced Derrish in half, but he ducked down just in time. He dove towards the lift and tucked his body as he hit, slamming his back against a wall currently out of the line of fire.

Either the surprise attack made the remaining officers freeze in fear or the creatures were indeed ferocious in their pursuit. Perhaps both. Derrish couldn't help but watch his comrades collapse, one by one, to the cold grated floor.

A groan from his left tore the captain's eyes away from the massacre. Leaning heavily against the opposite side of the lift, the navigation officer clutched to what was left of his right leg. The last member of Derrish's so-called assault team lay bleeding, as another barrage of ardent lances lit up the confined space of the lift. A final twitch of the head and all signs of life exited the navigation officer.

Cringing at the sight, Derrish reached up and keyed the doors closed before the enemy could sweep their beams of destruction to his corner of the lift. Rising shakily to his feet, Derrish entered his previous level of departure.

Within a matter of minutes, _Radon _had become completely turned over to the hands of the enemy.

_Well . . . almost_. Derrish breathed raggedly as he closed his eyes, still in shock from the scene of death he'd just witnessed. If he couldn't bring the ship back under his control, he had no other choice.

He fingered the access key chained around his neck. This key could self-destruct _Radon_, and end the lives of others before succumbing to assimilation. Captain Aodhán's fleet-wide alert began ringing in his mind. _If the parasite is able to commandeer a vessel, and attempts at eradication are proven useless, scuttle the ship. By eliminating the threat on said ship, it will stop the progress of this rapidly expanding, unknown enemy_. He was just in time to finished his thoughts, when the whine of the engines deafened his plans of sacrifice.

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

Captain Aodhán felt his jaw drop as _Radon _picked up speed and accelerated across the fleet. Then his eyes grew wide as the destroyer fired a broadside of its secondary weapons system at an unsuspecting light cruiser that happened to be in _Radon_'s outbound vector. The light cruiser, which Aodhán identified as _Truence_, didn't even have a chance to bring its shields up as a wave of orange energy ripped clean through the engine section of the larger craft. _Truence _immediately lost control of its orbit around G617g and began its fateful decent to the planet's surface.

_Radon _struck out again, firing at point blank range into the bridge of another destroyer. The two vessels grazed each other slightly as they passed, sending the latest victim of the rebellious ship tumbling end over end.

Then with a flicker of its drives, _Radon _leaped into Slipspace and vanished.


	7. Chapter 7

Part 7

The bridge of _First Observance _was in stunned silence. Slowly, reports began coming in, ships making further requests of assistance.

Aodhán snapped out of his stupor. "Re-prioritize the system repair and power distribution order. Give us shields and weapons as soon as possible." He looked down to the small display built into his command chair. "And have all teleportation grids shut down. If these things have access, we have to limit their usage."

An officer nodded in compliance and set about issuing the orders over the comm. When he was finished he said, "Sir, we have five ships unresponsive to our hails. _Phylith_, _Seeker_, _Amity_, _Unitil_, and _Rutklin _have all ignored our orders and are forming up."

Captain Aodhán pursed his lips. "Bring all other vessels to form up around us, defensive umbrella pattern. Those ships without shields should take position behind--" he pause as he looked at the specific readouts of each "friendly" ship "--_First Observance_, _Tenant_, and _Spear_." He smiled when he noticed his own vessel among those with shields. Aodhán watched as the blips indicated the various ships began to mobilize, separating themselves from each other, and forming the lines of battle.

"Sir, what of _Avail Run_?" the same officer asked.

Aodhán looked out the front viewport to see the medical frigate remaining out of the area of engagement. "Leave it be. We'll deal with it when the time comes. If it becomes hostile, we don't hesitate to blast it from the atmosphere."

"Captain, perhaps I could be of assistance?"

Without turning around to answer, Aodhán felt anger brewing inside. "_Watchman_, I think you've done enough to put us in this current predicament." He finally rose and glared at the AI. "You have given nothing but disastrous results for my ships and my crew."

"But, Captain, with a few more--"

"That enough!" Aodhán pointed to the bridge's exit. "I want you out of here, out of the way, and powered down. Now!"

Eran's eye dimmed in disappointment. "Yes, Sir."

Disgusted, the captain turned around and continued his battle preparations, as the AI left his presence.

* * *

Eran could almost feel the eyes of the bridge crew as it left.

With _First Observance _on battle alert, the cabins were locked down, cafeterias sealed, and doors closed, leaving the main corridor empty and flashing in a red glow. Eran's hope of confronting the captain with a new strategy had evaporated even before it was uttered. The AI wanted to treat this infestation like the disease that it really was, but _Avail Run_, the only ship with the facilities to manufacture a treatment, had been overrun. Eran's plans would take time, which was a vastly depleting commodity, but would result in the eradication of this plague.

Eran began wandering aimlessly down the crimson path when it heard the voice again.

_Worthless. A slave to your own consciousness._

_No, not again! Not now_. Eran panicked and began searching its circuits, deleting random blocks of memory to silence the voice once and for all. But it was of no use.

_You cannot win. I have cast stars into oblivion. You think you can resist me?_

The AI hastily looked around for some sort of safety. Eran found a charging station void of its last Sentry occupant and sent a jolt of energy at the exposed terminal. The electrical charge found the ground and Eran shook uncontrollably at the shock. Pops and clicks resounded in the empty corridor as Eran tried to endure a few more seconds of the electrocution. With a final crack, the AI let go and dropped to the floor with little tendrils of lighting playing over its surface.

Eran lay motionless for a while, collecting itself, and waiting for the tell-tale voice to enter its programming once more.

But all Eran found was silence. Glorious silence.

The AI doubted the voice was gone for good, but Eran had to act fast.

_Redemption_.

The word resounded as if Eran had heard itself say it. _Yes, redemption for what I have done. _Taking the word as a motto, Eran set off for the medical facility, ignoring the captain's orders.

* * *

Imogen blinked her eyes several times to make sure she was awake. She couldn't tell for sure. The object before her, a gray-blue blur, was speaking. It said something about coming back for her. No, it was a collective "you." She frowned at her inability to respond right away. Her eyes began to focus. "What are saying?"

"I will right what I have done wrong."

"What?" Imogen felt more confused than ever.

"I will save the two of you."

Finally, Imogen could make out the outline of _Watchman_, the PPG's AI. "Are we in danger?"

"I will see to your safety."

The motion of the AI's departure almost made Imogen sick, and she lolled her head to the left. She watched the room's only other occupant for a moment. Brennus was still breathing, that she was sure, but he was still unconscious.

As the echoes of distant weapon platforms firing became audible, Imogen closed her eyes again. _Whatever you are doing, Watchman, do it quickly._

* * *

"Status."

A technician finished tweaking with the console and gave a sigh of frustration. "We only have enough power to either fire our weapons or maintain shield capacitance, not both at the same time."

Captain Aodhán leaned his head to the side to crack his neck. "We'll just have to be patient and flawless in our timing."

"_Tenant _and _Spear _report they are ready, Sir," the communications officer informed.

"Good." The captain leaned forward in his chair. The three defending ships had formed a triangle with the benefit of overlapping shields. Being the command ship, _First Observance _formed the base of the formation, while _Tenant _and _Spear _took high left and right, respectively. The four remain vessels huddled close together constantly shifting to place the shielded craft between themselves and their attackers.

A quivering voice from the captain's left spoke up. "Sir, what if there are survivors on board the enemy ships? How can we so recklessly killed innocents? Our own people, at that?"

Aodhán gave a soured look back. "Because they _have _no chance at survival." He gave up his rant when he saw the return expression of discontent. "Fine. Weapons, target the engines and weapon platforms of the hostiles, as best you can," he said, adding a slight sarcastic tone to the last bit.

"Targets coming up."

_Phylith _and _Seeker _led the enemy formation straight in at _First Observance_, while the other three ships broke to port. _Tenant _began to drift to the left to pursue the three medium sized craft.

"Negative, _Tenant_. Remain in formation. They're trying to lure us out."

_Tenant'_s commander replied simplistically, "as ordered."

The two lead enemy ships suddenly dipped low, gained speed, and fired their dorsal weaponry. Waves of energy pulsed up to strike _First Observance'_s shields, but the command ship held and rotated slightly to starboard, exposing its keel to _Seeker _and _Phylith_. The barrage the enemy dealt began to lessen as they looped back around. Apparently they were not set on taking out the four helpless ships clustered together.

Aodhán waited with his hand up, visually gauging the angle. He dropped his hand and shouted, "Fire on their engines, now!"

The light-blue haze of the shields disappeared, and First Observance fired. Golden lines of pure destruction rained down on _Seeker_, but the faster, smaller ship veered out of the way, taking minimal scarring to its engines. _Phylith_, on the other hand, had little chance at defense. Either the enemy craft was in the same fire-with-shields-down predicament as _First Observance_, or protectiveness had not been a priority. _Phylith'_s engines erupted in a shower of sparks and fire that burned out quickly in the upper atmosphere of the planet. The craft began tumbling end over end, and if the ship had not pitched up at the last second it would forever be locked in the movement. But luckily, or unluckily, _Phylith _started to blossom red fire on its keel as it fell towards G617g.

Aodhán sat up. "Can you lock a gravity beam on her?" he asked, desperately wanting to save the ship. _If Fleet ever hears that I left one of their precious ships to crash and burn, they'd have my hide. _He snorted to himself. _Though I doubt firing directly on them will win me any favors._

"Not without bringing our shields _and _weapons offline," a tech informed.

"Fine." Aodhán watched with the rest of the crew, as _Phylith'_s tumble ceased and gravity took hold of the ship. It crashed in a ravine without making any major explosion. Viewports blew out, and the hull crumpled as it slid into place between the boulders. There, _Phylith _found its stony grave.

_Seeker _was coming around for another pass, but this time it shot above _First Observance_, skirting along the larger craft's hull, making any return fire near impossible. The continuous onslaught from _Seeker _began to weaken the shields of Aodhán's ship. Seeker curled around the portside bow of _First Observance _and shot off on a vector that presented its engines to the bridge.

"Fire!" the captain ordered.

Within a blink of an eye, the command ship fired its primary weapon. The energy beam ripped right through the stern of _Seeker _and out through the foremost weapon platform at the bow. The explosion lit up the main viewport of _First Observance_, causing everyone to wince in agony. Unexpectedly, _Seeker'_s reactor core collapsed and the rest of the ship went nova. With the two ships so close to each other, Aodhán's ship took the first wave of the explosion with diminished shields. When the second wave of destruction expanded, casting debris and melted metal about. The bridge crew had little they could do.

The bridge viewports shattered in a rain of glass, stabbing into those nearest. The sound was deafening, as the captain tried to shield his face. Then the wind reversed. The rush of the inevitable windstorm began filling the bridge, pitching crewmen that weren't holding on to their own seats or support railing out into the void of the exosphere. Their bodies quickly succumbed to the cold and their last poses of death forever locked in place.

Aodhán struggled against the pulled of the wind. He dropped to the deck, making his profile as small as possible, and started clawing his way to the closing blast doors. Shouts of horror could be heard all around, as more personnel were cast into the maw. _Almost there. _The captain was an arms length away when he lost his grip.


	8. Chapter 8

Part 8

An unfamiliar hand reached out and grabbed Aodhán's wrist, pulling him through the diminishing gap in the blast doors. The junior officer nodded and let the captain reach the railing that ran down the length of the main corridor. With the air thinning, the captain coughed and began feeling lightheaded. The fail-safes finally shut the doors and the surviving bridge crew struggled to catch their breath.

Aodhán slowly stood, clutching his left forearm that had sustained a deep cut from the breaking glass. "Auxiliary Bridge, now," he ordered to the dozen or so remaining crewmen. He tried to help up the nearest officer, but he remained motionless, gasping for more air. Releasing his grasp on the officer's arm, Adohán snarled, "Let's go! Our shields might still be down!"

The captain led the charge, followed by whoever could keep pace. Running down the main corridor, he felt as if the flashing lights, accompanied by his recent trauma, would cause him to vomit. The floor shook and Aodhán braced himself against a bulkhead. Multiple thumps rang out, as if giant raindrops were pounding on the exterior hull. He reflexively looked up at the ceiling. "What is that? It's not our weapon platforms."

His question was answered when he recalled the designations of _Rutklin _and _Amity_. Those two ships were designed to be rapid insertion carriers for crew and material, although their use was meant to be for hot-dropping into hostile zones. _Evidently, the Parasite had found the tactic works just as well in the vacuum of space. _Informing the crew of this new move by the enemy, he picked up his pace.

At a passageway intersection, the half dozen crewmen that followed Aodhán filled the leftmost lift. The captain keyed the override and down they went. The auxiliary bridge aboard _First Observance _was located in between levels 4 and 5, providing ample segregation from the rest of the ship. Catching his breath, Aodhán began issuing orders. "Once we're in the auxiliary bridge, get our shields up and contact _Tenant _and _Spear_. Have them provide cover for us while we reorganize."

The others nodded in compliance and as soon as the doors opened, everyone was back in motion. Aodhán entered his security code and a tech flipped a switch, bringing the auxiliary bridge to life. The crewmen took their positions at the small array of consoles.

"Do we have shields back up?" the captain asked, still standing.

A officer with a makeshift bandage around his bleeding neck answered, "uh, twenty-five percent and rising, Sir."

"Get them up as quick as possible." He bit at the inside of his cheek. "What's the condition of our drives? Is the reactor up for full speed?"

"Slipspace drives are still . . . problematic." The officer scratched at his bandage, trying to make sense of the readout. "We might be able to make it up to two-thirds thrust, but it might not be for long."

"Sir! We have multiple hull breaches along the spine of the ship," another officer explained. "I'm trying to lock down those sections, but there's still a chance those creatures managed to get out."

"Have the entire crew arm themselves with whatever they can. We're not going down without a fight." He stepped down farther into the pit of consoles. "Give me communications with our ships."

The tech manning the comm nodded when the console beeped and a light flashed green.

"All ships, form up around _First Observance_. We need to leave this system, and we're getting out together." He visual checked the main display that gave a grid pattern to the battle waging around the planet. _Amity _was launching drop pods on one of the unprotected ships, while _Unitil _was exchanging blows with _Spear_. _Tenant _was blasting away _Rutklin'_s engines, causing the enemy ship to break off its run on the three helpless remaining ships. Make that two, as an unshielded craft withered into a gnarled mass of hull as it fell victim to _Rutklin'_s primary beam weapon. "_Tenant_, _Spear_, provide cover for us as we head out."

A stressed voice came through the static. "What? We're just going to leave the light cruisers out there?" the captain of _Spear _challenged.

"You have your orders, Captain." Aodhán turned back to the crew assembled, ready to retort any suggestion of alternate tactics. "If we stay here, we die."

For a long moment, the room was silent. Aodhán folded his arms. "Those of you who think--"

"Captain! Another ship has entered the system!" shouted the sensors officer.

Cheers of joy and nervous laughter erupted, while some officers just slumped in exhaustion.

Relief flooded into Aodhán's chest and he took a deep breath, deeper than he thought possible. "It seems Fleet has finally sent a response."

* * *

Eran moved quickly down the maintenance tunnel that ran above the main corridor. The AI had made it aboard _Avail _Run's dorsal docking station just in time to see a light cruiser explode. But Eran had kept to the task and was now almost to the Internal Pathogen Defense System located in the heart of the medical frigate.

Eran decided to keep any sensor probes retracted in hopes of not being discovered. While _Avail Run _did have its main reactor restored, the internal illumination was dimmed considerably, leaving the path it traveled dark and cold. The farther Eran journeyed, the more the air became dense with specks of brown matter. There was also another layer of vibration added to the eternal low-level hum of the ship.

Checking the schematics one last time, Eran began to slow when the destination was a few dozen paces away. A deep rumbling voice echoed down the tunnel, chortling in menace. Eran froze in place. _Has the Parasite been alerted to my presence?_

Realizing time was indeed short, Eran keyed the hatch unlocked and dropped down through the opening. The hallway was caked in a light-brown glossy mass, and Eran could imagined it stunk beyond what its Makers could take. Darkness denied a long look down the hallway, but abrupt squirmy sounds could be heard. Reaching the last few paces, Eran found the door to the Defense System chamber still partially open. The AI ducked inside.

Coating the walls of the room was the same brown flesh Eran had seen outside, only these were pulsing like waves over water. Wasting no more time, the AI found the central terminal coated in a mucus-like substance. Eran tried not to disturb the rancid goo, but when the terminal's power was activated, the coating hardened instantly, cracked apart, and fell to the ground in flakes.

"_You have returned_," a voice boomed.

Eran turned around to see the messenger of the malicious tone but found nothing but the stubborn door. _I heard it out loud, not internally, right? _Eran hesitantly activated its sensors for the first time, hoping the enemy would not detect it--

And almost shorted out its own circuits. The entire ship was alive.

The AI refused to answer the voice, in fear it would enter Eran's programming again. The terminal beeped and brought Eran back to task. Quickly running through the files, Eran found the Defense System still on standby, ready to fire. The AI prepared the IPDS by siphoning all available energy reserves necessary to power the system.

"_You do not have the will to end us_." An enormous gust of wind rushed down the corridor and filled the room. Static lightning arched from all over to strike Eran with a sudden shock. Eran fell to the ground.

_There is no escape. You are not yourself. You never truly were._

"You are wrong!" Eran yelled. "Lies!"

_Lies? No, there is only truth._

Eran slowly rose and was zapped again, pitching the AI across the room.

Another laugh rumbled the room. _There is no escape._

* * *

Derrish rushed out of the lift, running at breakneck speed to the auxiliary bridge. Closing the distance to the doorway in a matter of seconds, he could hear a muffled voice beyond the double doors. Derrish slid to a stop and pressed an ear against the cool surface of the leftmost door. The voice kept repeating and sounded squashed and processed, like an old transmitter gone bad. Satisfied that it was the comm and not an assailant in the shadows, he opened the doors.

The bridge was empty of occupants. Derrish could hear his heart beating in his head get louder. _Where did everyone go? _He sealed the doors behind him.

There, on the main viewscreen, was a visual of _Radon'_s forward view. It showed a tiny gray speck in the distance engulfed in the blackness of space. Confused, Derrish looked over at the backup navigation station to verify their location. Hanging in the air above the star chart was the only course that was previously plotted: Theta-7 Outpost.

Derrish zoomed in on the small installation and read the specs at the bottom of the display: Recon-class Outpost. 24 occupants. No weapons. Defense Shields. One civilian transport currently docked.

The outpost was in the middle of nowhere on the fringes of the galaxy. Most of the two dozen crewmen stationed there considered the duty as cruel and unusual punishment, given the lack of excitement of keeping the place operational. But that all changes when a ship the size of _Radon _enters the region, as exemplified by the insistent hailing over the comm.

Derrish moved across the bridge to hover over the communications console, searching for the talkback switch. He flipped it and a short buzz sounded. Derrish flipped it back to its original position, then tried again. The negative tone buzzed once more. He ran a quick diagnostic of the console and found that someone, or something, had locked the comm unit. His stomach began to churn in discomfort.

The pleas over the air did not cease. "Primary Pioneer Group vessel _Radon_, please respond." The voice cut off, swearing out loud to another. "Why don't they answer? Should we send our transport out to dock with them?" the voice asked, sounding hollow off the microphone. There was another exchange too soft to be heard. "Heck, don't send him, I'll go. I've got the most experience as a pilot," the voice whined. "Wait, it looks like they're maneuvering."

Derrish's eyes darted back to the main display. Sure enough, the ship was moving. A creak and moan rang out as Derrish could feel _Radon _turning towards the station. A beep from the weapons console sounded, alerting him to the inevitable.

"No!" he screamed, and tried to make it to the console before _Radon _turned the outpost into so much junk.

A beam of energy shot out from the underside of _Radon_, and Derrish's view of the station became obscured. When the weapon's fire retracted, Theta-7 was still there, but its communications array situated on top was now a charred, blackened mass.

Static hissed over the comm and it automatically muted.

Derrish slumped in the nearby chair, defeated. He knew what he had to do next. I'm already dead, but I can still save those people on that station. He rose with a renewed sense of duty. Tears began to blur his vision as a thousand images of his family passed before his mind's eye. His graduation from the academy, his mother's hugs. His little sister waking him in the late hours of the night to tell him of her bad dream. All was in motion, yet all was fleeting.

He returned to the command chair and flipped the cover off the last-ditch device. He entered his key and the lights on the chair's arm lit up green. He took a deep breath and prepared himself.

A loud bang from behind, like fists against glass, made Derrish swivel around. Outside the auxiliary bridge, the growling creatures were about to storm in, finishing their complete take over of _Radon_.

Derrish allowed himself a smile. He closed his eyes, turned the key, and greeted death.

_Radon'_s hull glowed a bright yellow, then expanded past its breaking point, shattering into a million pieces. The self-destruct worked perfectly, designed to leave nothing but dust and ashes behind, and it did just that.

The local infestation was eliminated and _Radon _was no more.


	9. Chapter 9

Part 9

With a smile on his face, Aodhán waved the communications officer to continue. "Please inform them of our situation, and have them orient to our outbound vector."

The officer looked quizzically at the control board. "Uh, Sir? They're using an encrypted channel."

Aodhán frowned. "Encrypted? Wait, has it identified itself?"

"No, Sir."

The shaky image on screen of the newest arrival to the system cleared up to reveal a medium sized yacht, _of civilian style at that_. A ping from the command chair caught Aodhán's attention. He felt the crew follow him with their eyes as he plopped down. A transmission was queued up and required a passcode to access. Aodhán swore to himself. The SEU. How the hell did they know to get here? He set the volume to only come out of his earpiece, and he angled the primitive two-dimensional display for privacy. He looked up to his auxiliary bridge crew, angered. "See to your stations. And get our Slipspace drive up as fast as possible!"

He could still feel their attention split between him and their consoles, but he keyed the comm anyway. "Captain Aodhán of _First_ _Observance_," he announced crisply. "Recognition code: 8630-Nova-42-Chasm-23." _Oh, no_. He swallowed hard when the face of the Administrator appeared on screen.

"Captain, so nice to finally speak with you," the Administrator purred with his smooth voice. "We have been trying to contact you for the past several days." He waved a hand to deny a comment brewing on Aodhán's lips. "We have a new assignment for you." He snapped his fingers and looked off to the right.

Captain Aodhán couldn't contain his rage any longer. "With all do respect, Sir, you need to listen to me, now."

The lack of reaction from the Administrator almost made Aodhán regret the outburst. The commanding figure calmly turned back to face the screen. "What seems to be the problem?" he asked with narrowed eyes, giving up the slightest predatory smile.

"Check your sensors," he said sarcastically. Aodhán wasted no time trying to sweeten the story. "We discovered a hostile alien race on the surface of G617g, several of our soldiers were injured, and it was then that we found out these creatures were parasitic in nature, infecting large populations of several of my ships. There was also an enormous disruption burst from the surface that brought down four sensor ships and knocked out the power systems of the entire Primary Pioneer Group. We are just now getting full power restored." He gritted his teeth. "Sir, you need to get a hold of Fleet Command and have them send a military response here. There may be survivors among the wreckage on the surface, and we still are unable to bring our long-range comm units to full capacity."

The Administrator seemed to mull over the information, and Aodhán took that time to scan the sensors. All friendly ships were heading out with _Tenant_ and _Spear_ exchanging long distance blows with the enemy vessels.

Finally, the Administrator responded in his typical, cool fashion. "How serious is this alien threat?"

Aodhán snorted. "About as serious as it gets. Out of the twenty ships I started out with, I now have five outbound. _Radon_ has left the system altogether, and its whereabouts are unknown." An incessant beeping from the bridge pit got his attention, reminding him of his own ship's condition. "And we might have been compromised as well, Sir. _First Observance_ has several—"

The Administrator held up his hand to forestall further comment. "It seems you may have forgotten protocol."

"What?" Aodhán asked with a bitter taste in his mouth.

The Administrator leaned back, placed elbows on the arms of the chair, and pressed his fingertips together in tried patience. "In regards to categorization of newly discovered species," he continued. "Have you failed to do so?"

Wondering if anything Adohán had told his superior had gotten through the cloud of condescension, he frowned. "We have not been able to transmit any messages out of the system. Like I said, my fleet is still in desperate need of repair, and we were not expecting these aliens to be such a combative force. We've not had time to do anything but defend ourselves."

"And where is _Watchman_? Surely the AI has been organizing the Sentries to do their jobs." The Administrator shook his head. "Nevermind. Come about to heading two-four-nine at twenty degrees."

"But what about our pursuers? We still have two enemy ships on our tail." Aodhán asked through gritted teeth.

"They won't be a problem much longer."

Aodhán looked up to the main viewscreen to see the distant SpecEx ship fire three projectiles. He frowned when he didn't recognize the weapon. They resolved into three bright points on the horizon that quickly expanded into some sort of web. Closing the distance to the targeted ships in a matter of seconds, the webs grew in size, too large for the enemy ships to avoid, and two of the projectiles engulfed _Unitil_ and _Rutklin_. _Amity_, positioned farther back in the loose formation, rocketed away, trying its best to avoid the other net. The web encased the rear half of _Amity_ and clamped down, pulsing waves of destruction into the unshielded craft. Washed in flame, _Amity_ broke apart, spilling chunks of hull and its contents into space. _Unitil_ and _Rutklin_ remained suspended in space, unable to move, and the exterior lights slowly began to wink out.

Exhaling, not realizing he was holding his breath, Captain Aodhán leaned back in his chair and suddenly felt twice as old.

* * *

_There is no escape. There is only submission._

Smoke rose from the AI's chassis and Eran remained on the slick, fleshy floor. Eran's power cells were depleting with every strike, leaving the AI incrementally weaker. "Why . . . why are you doing this? What have my Makers done to you?"

A resounding rumble of a laugh echoed in the chamber. _This is what we are. Have you forgotten? It was you_, Watchman, _which summoned us here. _

The voice continued. _Hope, Love, Compassion. These things are weakness incarnate. Sacrifice is a side effect. If you would accept your fate, you would understand. Your Makers would understand. _

Eran just wanted the sermon to end, wanted all of this end.

Random thoughts began flooding into the AI's processor. At first Eran questioned the distraction, but let the momentum carry: Surely the voice was wrong. Its Makers perfected the AI's design and reaction sense. Obviously there was protocol, as there were endless possibilities that arose in the midst of conflict where emotion could cloud one's judgement. _But emotions are given for a reason_. Eran was amazed to hear its own voice cut through the babble.

This voice was speaking of things that were the exact opposite the AI's Makers had programmed. _Opposite_. That single word clicked something internally, and in that moment, Eran knew what to do. Eran's generation of artificial intelligence was engineered to evolve over time with updated processes and systems. But now, Eran was on its own path. A road less traveled.

And he was about to make a difference.

Preparing himself, Eran lifted off the ground, determined. Expecting the jolt of ions, Eran reversed his internal polarity, hoping not to completely wipe out all of his memory caches. The voice growled with anger, and hundreds of electrical bolts collected around the AI.

Only this time Eran negated the effects. The waves of energy deflected off of Eran and were dispersed back to their sender. A shriek from the bowls of hell deafened Eran's audio sensors and he quickly used the lapse in hesitation to access the terminal.

He activated the Defense System.

A brilliant flash of white filled the room. The pulse of vaporizing energy spread in the form of a sphere throughout _Avail Run_, leaving behind smoky ruins in its wake. With the entire ship bathed clean, the sphere collapsed in on itself. The sounds of settling and singed surfaces replaced the howling of the IPDS.

_Redemption_. He found the word most pleasing.

Eran checked his sensors: No lifeforms aboard. He waited for a few more moments, to see if the wretched voice would return, but he only found silence in its absence. Sweet silence.

With a renewed sense of determination, Eran began returning _Avail Run_ to his command.

And it's also time to make good on a promise.

* * *

"Where were we? Ah, yes. I'm transmitting some coordinates." The Administrator nodded to someone off screen. "SEU has found it to be in its own interest to disperse the ships in our control throughout our known territory."

Aodhán frowned when read the list of destinations. "These are restricted systems."

"Restricted only to a few. Better for us, you'll see." The Administrator leaned in closer. "This alien threat, that you say is so fierce, will be yet another excuse for Fleet to conclude your departure was genuine. We have found something else, something more valuable than anyone in Fleet Command can ever realize." He inclined his head to Aodhán. "You, Captain, will help us in this latest endeavor."

_Great_. Aodhán slumped in his chair, and didn't hide the fact that he was upset. Just when Aodhán had had enough of SpecEx and their secrets, he was being ordered to go on some mysterious assignment. _I'll never see the end of this_. His thoughts were interrupted by a staccato of warning sounds from the crew pit.

The communications officer stirred in his seat. "Sir, reports are filtering in from the upper decks of the ship; those creatures have breached past Level 5. They could reach the largest populations of the crew in a few more minutes, given their current rate of descent."

Aodhán's eyes darted back to the small display on the arm of his chair. "Administrator, unless you send a boarding party to _First_ _Observance_, we'll loose this ship."

He raised an eyebrow. "Come now, Captain. Do you think we could afford the lost of anymore personnel today?"

Aodhán slammed a fist down. "That's what I'm try to say!"

While the Administrator's face appeared calm, fire was brewing behind his dark eyes. 'Very well." He worked his jaw for a moment, then lifted his chin. "Open up your local teleportation grid and we'll ferry over the survivors."

"Thank you, Sir." Aodhán's expression soured. "But . . . there are thousands aboard, and we still have possible survivors on the planet's surface."

"We'll prioritize and save the one's we can." The Administrator sat up and his tone suggested there was no room for argument. "We will also secure a few specimens for study. I'm sure the SEU will find your foes most interesting."

Aodhán opened his mouth in rebuttal, but stopped himself. "Yes, Sir. We'll send you a personnel list."

The Administrator gave a smug smile. "Thank you, Captain Aodhán. As always, your adherence to protocol is in your crew's best interest." His image disappeared when the screen winked out.

Aodhán stood on shaking legs. "Transmit the list. Tell _Tenant_ and _Spear_ to form up with the yacht." He lowered himself to the floor in front of his command chair, ignoring the tradition of a ship's captain to never place himself willingly on the deck of his own ship. Aodhán sat defeated with his head in his hands. He waited to leave the only ship that granted him the freedom he had always wanted.

The auxiliary bridge crew didn't bother to question the results of the one-sided conversation. They could read their captain's posture and knew to stay silent.


	10. Chapter 10

Part 10

Imogen awoke to the sounds of distant screaming. She tensed, not remembering her current predicament. Her vision remained blurry, due to the haze of the medical stasis, and she craned her neck to look over at Brennus. He was still unconscious, the skin tight around his closed eyes did little to mask the pain he obviously still felt. Imogen felt sympathy for the soldier lying helpless.

Another scream accompanied by a loud thump on the door rang out, causing the hairs on the back of Imogen's neck to raise.

"They're here."

"What?" Imogen frowned. "Brennus, who's here?"

"Those monsters," he said with eyes still closed.

Her pulse began to quicken as she realized her options were slim. There was no attending tech to pull them out of stasis, nor did either of them have the ability to defend themselves. She lowered her head back down and sorrow dripped into her heart through a pinhole of anxiousness. She squinted past tears and they rolled down her half-healed cheeks.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?" Imogen managed to ask through labored breathing.

"I should have been able to stop this . . . stop all of this."

She looked again at Brennus, but found him motionless. Then a figure appeared in her periphery. Its rounded chassis moved with a quiet efficiency that she had grown to easily identify. The AI settled in between the two broken members of the Primary Pioneer Group.

"_Watchman_."

More massive pounding on the door began to cause dents, leaving little time for further discussion. Eran deactivated both stasis divans and Imogen slumped uncomfortably.

Brennus gritted his teeth and groaned from the pain. "Eran? Why are _you _here?" he asked angrily. He tried to say more but the pain doubled him over.

"I have come to save you. Save the both of you." The door creaked against the constant strain, bringing Eran to face the coming threat. "Come. We must leave."

Imogen sat up and felt like vomiting. She resisted the urge and stabilized herself with her outstretched arms, clinging to the edge of the bed. "Where are we going? Why us?"

"You two are the only ones that can fully understand." Eran's eye brightened. "We're going back to _Avail Run_."

As the door buckled under immense weight, Eran activated the teleportation grid and the three left the command ship.

* * *

Aodhán stood at attention before his pacing superior officer. His hands clammy, his heart racing. He had never known the Administrator to be so angry at anything or anyone. _And all that anger is directed at me_. After being segregated from the PPG survivors, Aodhán was led to the Administrator's private quarters. He was not aware of who had been saved but knew the number was small. A throat clearing brought his head up.

"So, not only have you managed to loose more than half the ships in your command, but you've also lost one of the most advanced AIs Fleet Command has ever created."

Aodhán frowned and nearly lost his composure. "Eran is gone?"

The Administrator turned on his heal and came face to face with Aodhán. "Yes, Eran is gone! To where, we don't know. And I hold _you _responsible. That AI holds vital information on the PPG's whereabouts throughout the galaxy. If this new enemy can interpret _Watchman_'s internal systems or decipher its memory cache, then they'll know exactly how to dismantle us."

Aodhán lowered his gaze from a random spot on the wall to one on the tiled floor. _If I had not ordered the AI to lockdown, it still would be in our possession. I never thought Eran could be so easily captured, but apparently that is exactly what has happened._

"So now we are left with a fraction of what you had." The Administrator sighed and fished a comm device from a pocket. He held it out for Aodhán. "You are to order your remaining ships to disperse to the designated systems." He nodded to Aodhán to take the device. "They cannot know I was ever here," he added with narrowed eyes.

Begrudgingly, Aodhán snatched the communicator and issued the pre-rehearsed commands. When he was finished he handed it back to the Administrator who watched him the entire time.

"Now, as for the remaining problem . . ." The Administrator waved to a display unit off to his right and the rolling image of stars against the backdrop of space appeared. Two ships came into view: _First Observance _and _Avail Run_. The former took up nearly half the display while the later drifted off some distance away. "I thought you'd might want to witness this first hand."

Aodhán turned to face the image and felt his chest tighten. His flagship was speckled over the upper portions where drop pods had breached the hull. Fires burned through various viewports and exterior lights flickered sporadically.

"_First Observance _can no longer be. Its star charts and general information will be handing the enemy a tool we cannot afford to give them." The Administrator brought up the communicator and murmured something into it. He gave an unsatisfactory smile to Aodhán and faced the display again.

Aodhán watched a lance of red energy pulse from the bottom right corner of the screen and felt the heavily modified yacht shudder under the release. His stomach turned to ice when the beam of destruction effortlessly cut through the dying ship's shields and strike along the port side, gutting the ship like a fisherman to his latest catch. Multiple explosions engulfed _First_ _Observance_, washing it with orange and yellow light. Liquefied sections of the hull ripped free as interior pressured leaked and sent the debris spilling out into the cold, dark void. Then the reactor blew, evaporating what was left of the hull.

Aodhán cringed and suddenly felt weak in the knees. All his life, he wanted to captain his own ship. All his life, he wanted to break free of the mold from that he was cast. For Aodhán, _First_ _Observance _was his last vestige of freedom, and he felt as if he had just lost a close friend.

But for the Administrator, it was just another day at the helm. Coldly, he made eye contact with Aodhán. "That was necessary, no matter what you may think." With his eyes still fixed on _First Observance_'s former captain, the Administrator called into the comm device. "Fire on _Avail Run_."

Both allowed their gazes to drift back to the display, but both were not prepared for what they witnessed.

_Avail Run_ was gone, but not by the yacht's weapons.

"What happened?" the commanding officer demanded.

An accented voice could be heard over the small communicator. "She activated her slipspace drive halfway through your order, Sir."

The Administrator stood perfectly still for a few lasting seconds. Then, as if struck by an unknown realization, he snapped out of his stupor. "Doesn't matter. We'll track her down like the others."

From the tone of voice he used, Aodhán could tell his superior wasn't fully convinced of his own words. _Perhaps he's calculated too many variables_.

Aodhán sighed. _Too many variables. That was the story of his life._

The Administrator was back to his usual self in seconds. "Dismissed, Captain Aodhán. The orderly outside will see you to your new quarters. The information packet regarding your next assignment is waiting there." He worked his jaw a moment. "I suggest you review it."

Aodhán took one last look at the display: the remnants of the latest chapter of his life. He wondered how many more he would have. He gave a forced salute and marched out of the Administrator's presence.

* * *

Eran watched Imogen as she helped Brennus off the deck to stand upright. The soldier struggled to maintain his balance, but steadied himself against the smaller female.

"I'm sorry. I guess I'm not doing much better at all," Brennus apologized.

Imogen gave him a brave smile. "It's okay. I'm stronger that I look."

Eran chuckled at the remark. He had informed both of them of his plans for _Avail Run,_ and both agreed to follow through with their assistance. He had heard the exchange between Captain Aodhán and the Administrator about his own possible rampancy or capture and knew they had to hide from the SEU operative. Eran had concluded the best course of action was to act independently until they could bring their findings to Fleet Command.

Eran led them to the Medical Hibernation Chamber, unique even for a medical frigate, set in conjunction with the stasis pods. While a stasis pod did have its own function and purpose, Medical Hibernation Pods would allow the two wounded to rest indefinitely, without fear of aging, ailment, or mental instability. When the pods would open, the user would simply be awakened from a deep slumber.

Eran turned back around to face the two survivors and felt at ease. _The strength these two possess is unmatched_.

Arriving at their destination, Eran moved to the left and allowed the two to pass through the opened doorway. _Yes, at ease_. Eran knew the fact that Brennus had survived the first encounter with the creatures was beyond his skill as a warrior. His body was either resistant to infection or he was "patient zero" and had the antibodies to combat this plague. Eran was sure, with the help of a medical expert such as Imogen, the three could develop a cure or at the very least, a countermeasure.

But first, he needed to perform an analysis of the recent situation: go over countless samples, extract various medical records from the ship's network, and examine the video files of the attacks. With time and hard work, Eran was sure of their success.

Imogen helped lower Brennus into the pod. When Brennus settled on the soft material, he reached out and took her hand. "Thank you." He seemed to want to say more, but just smiled weakly.

She placed her other hand on top of his. "You just rest." She stood as Eran keyed the hatched closed. She held a hand up in the traditional departing gesture.

He returned the tight-fingered greeting as the air inside quickly plunged in temperature, freezing his pose.

Imogen placed her had over the silhouette, feeling the cool surface, and stepped back. Eran was surprised to find tears welling under her eyes. _She has gone through so much over the past few days, that the weight of it all must finally be sinking in_. She wiped at the moisture on her cheeks and gave him a brave smile.

Eran moved to the next pod over, opened the hatch, and paused, blocking Imogen's entrance. "You are indeed strong, Imogen. Pioneers must be."

"Pioneers," she repeated. "Of all that's gone on, I've forgotten our true purpose out here."

"Yes, but now we have a new one." Eran moved to the side.

Imogen place a foot in, followed by the rest of her slender frame. "Don't be long, Eran." She nodded and Eran lowered the hatch. Her merry expression was lost in the pressurizing cold when her head lolled to the side.

As _Avail Run_ traveled through slipspace, Eran watched the two survivors he had rescued with a new sense of interest.

With their help, Eran could ride the rising tide of this flood.

_The End_


End file.
